After going back and forth on the white banjo vs mahogany Nardi steering wheel choice for weeks, and because I'm a big guy and worried about leg clearance, today I have ordered a 15" steering wheel from Mike Lempert for my Beck 550 that is in the SE production queue. Carey Hines had said he used Mike's wheel on his own car and recommends them. This morning Mike provided some details that I thought worth sharing with the community (I'm pretty sure Mike won't mind):
"Thanks for your interest in my work. I do make a very accurate replica of the original VDM wheel, see here: https://pbase.com/mdlempert/vdmspyder
However, the original wheel size tends to be too big a diameter for the replica cars. The one I make for Carey is 15" and looks good in that car.
Since I am not making an authentic version of the wheel, I have used mahogany for Carey's wheel. I can do that or use the lighter, original wood type. The grooves are black and were originally painted but some number did not have them painted black. All the ones I have made got the black treatment. The most recent one I made for Carey included a very special approach. I did it just to show I could. Instead of painting the inside of the grooves, I created ebony wood inlays and grooved them, making them unnecessary to paint. The price for the 15" version is $575 and is done with ebony inlays, $675. I will ask for a deposit of $100 if you choose to order and I accomplish that electronically with an invoice. I have attached pictures of the grooved wheel and a close-up of one with grooved ebony inlays."
I asked about the delivery time, even though I'm AGES away from getting my car, and Mike replied:
"Timing has always been very difficult to predict. I have to balance the urgency of restoration completion dates, show schedules, etc. At the current time, I have the largest order queue ever but am extending my helper's hours and doing my best. No wheel will leave here unless I'm satisfied with it. I will estimate four months. It could be sooner or even much sooner. It will be beautiful. I'll send an invoice for the $100 deposit. Please feel free to check in with me for status. It is impossible for me to provide status when I have 50, more or less, in queue."
Obviously I agree these are beautiful steering wheels.
